Common concerns about wind power – 2nd edition

Our popular Common Concerns About Wind Power has been updated into a new and expanded edition.

Project duration: ongoing since July 2017

Common conerns about wind power

Download the 2nd edition of this report

We first published Common Concerns About Wind Power in 2011 in response to requests from community energy groups looking for factual information about wind power. Around 10,000 printed copies were distributed, and the online version has had over 35,000 downloads since 2015.

The second edition reflects changes that have taken place in the legal, economic and political sphere since 2011. It is considerably more in-depth than the first edition, and contains several new chapters. These cover topics that were not being widely discussed when the first edition was being prepared, such as safety, shadow-flicker and impact on house prices.

The increasing presence of wind farms across the country means that communities everywhere will continue needing to address the issues surrounding wind power. Changes to government planning policy in 2015 mean that onshore wind developments cannot now proceed without a site first having been allocated in a local or neighbourhood plan. (Back in 2016, CSE produced a guidance note for community energy groups seeking to do this.)

Even though the current government has decided to withdraw support for onshore wind, it is now the cheapest form of low carbon electricity generation (according to the government’s own figures). It therefore remains important that current and future public discourse and policy decisions about this important technology are well-informed, drawing on a wide range of the high quality evidence available rather than a partial selection to suit a line of argument, either in favour or against.

This publication provides a comprehensive grounding in the facts for local authorities and communities as they undertake the development of local planning policies.

As before, this edition of Common Concerns about Wind Power relies heavily on academic peer reviewed publications, expert reports and government studies and we hope this update continues to provide an independent guide to the issues.

Read it here …